Collier NANSHAN

GENERAL:

BACKGROUND:

As tensions rose between the U.S. and Spain, Commodore
Dewey realized he was in need of both coal and ammunition if he was
going to engage the Spanish fleet. The U.S. government, being notified
that all good coal in Dewey's area had been purchased
by other nations, ordered coal from Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff coal was considered
some of the best in the world. The coal was being shipped to Dewey
aboard the NANSHAN. When the vessel arrived, with the government's permission,
Dewey
purchased the NANSHAN. on April 6, 1898 for $155,728 from Frank Smythe,
a businessman who, it seems, worked a nondescript purchasing agent for
Dewey.

Secretary of the Navy, John Long had ordered Dewey
to arm the vessel, but he disobeyed. Dewey's reason
for disobeying the Secretary's order was quite reasonable. Had he armed
the vessel, it would have become a U.S. naval vessel and subject to the
the neutrality laws concerning vessels of war. As it was, the vessel could
just be an American merchant steamer. The Commodore also had the paperwork
prepared to clear the vessel to use Guam as its home port. All that done,
the vessel could be used to purchase supplies for the Squadron through
virtually any neutral British, Chinese or Japanese port, and evade the
neutrality laws. This wily act was imperative for Dewey,
since his closest American port for resupply was 7,000 miles away!

To co-ordinate actions at sea, Dewey stationed
one officer, Lt. Benjamin W. Hodges, the sole official U.S. navy presence,
and several sailors aboard who would handle signalling and fleet maneuvers.
For this reason, official navy records list the NANSHAN's sole crew complement
as one person, though the functional crew was about 45 men.

On April 24, in company with the ZAFIRO, BOSTON,
PETREL,
and CONCORD, NANSHAN left Hong Kong Harbor for
Mirs Bay. Here the Asiatic Squadron gathered to prepare to steam for the
Philippines.

As the Asiatic Squadron approached the Philippines, the speed of
the squadron was dictated by the NANSHAN, the slowest vessel in the squadron.
On paper, the ZAFIRO, the squadron's other collier, was listed a the slowest
vessel, but this did not hold true in reality.

May 1, the vessel entered Manila Bay with the remainder of the squadron.
During the battle, NANSHAN joined ZAFIRO under the protection of the lightly
armed McCULLOCH in an unfrequented portion of
Manila Bay. After the battle, she continued to provide coal for the squadron.

After the war, she continued to serve in the Far East until returning
to the west coast of the U.S. in May of 1913. She coaled ships off the
west coast of the U.S., Mexico, and South America. On March 31, 1914, she
went out of service for repairs at Mare Island. NANSHAN was fully commissioned
for the first time on August 1, 1914 and given a true navy crew. She operated
in the Pacific, between the west coast of the U.S. and Hawaii throughout
World War One. In February,1918 she steamed through the Panama Canal heading
for Hampton Roads. She soon returned to the west coast to continue her
duties there until December, 1919.

Between December 1919, and December 1921, NANSHAN served as target
repair ship. She was decommissioned at Mare Island on January 18, 1922,
and was sold to John A. Bercovich Co., on July 29, 1922.

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:

NANSHAN had the advantage of being available for Dewey to purchase before
the outbreak of the war. She was slow and by no means a warship.

TECHNOTES:

Classification:

Steamer converted to Collier

Built:

1896

Comissioned:

No official Navy commission until 1914.

Contractor:

Grangemouth Dockyard Co., Grangemouth, Scotland.

Armament:

None

Length:

238 feet

Beam:

39 feet, 1 inch

Mean draft:

21 feet, 3 inches

Net tonnage:

1,344 tons

Displacement:

5,059 tons

Complement:

One officer assigned. While the actual functional crew
was about 45 men,

the crew complement was officially listed as one man
(See background section above for explanation).

Speed:

11 knots

Supply Ship ZAFIRO

GENERAL:

The ZAFIRO was a collier which had brought coal for Dewey's
Asiatic Squadron. Upon her April 9, 1898 arrival, Zafiro was purchased
for $87,597 from the China and Manila Steamship Co. and used it as a supply
ship for the Squadron. The ZAFIRO was present in Manila Bay during the
Battle
of Manila Bay/Cavite, but was, for obvious reasons, not engaged.

BACKGROUND:

On April 9, 1898, as tensions of war with Spain grew, the U.S. government
authorized Commodore Dewey to purchase a second
supply vessel, in addition to the NANSHAN, which he already purchased.
Contrary to the orders of Secretary of Navy Long to arm the vessel, Dewey
instead left the vessel unarmed, and kept the British crew aboard, with
the crew's eager agreement.

Dewey's reason for disobeying the Secretary's
order was quite reasonable. Had he armed the vessel, it would have become
a U.S. Naval vessel and subject to the the neutrality laws concerning vessels
of war. As it was, the vessel could just be an American merchant steamer.
The Commodore also had the paperwork prepared to clear the vessel to use
Guam
as its home port. All that done, the vessel could be used to purchase supplies
for the Squadron through virtually any neutral British, Chinese or Japanese
port and evade the neutrality laws. This wily act was imperative for Dewey,
since his closest American port for resupply was 7,000 miles away!

To co-ordinate actions at sea, Dewey stationed
one officer, Ensign Henry A. Pearson, the sole official U.S. navy
presence, and four sailors aboard who would handle signalling and fleet
maneuvers. For this reason, official navy records list the ZAFIRO's sole
crew complement as one person, though the functional crew was about 45
men.

On April 24, 1898, ZAFIRO left Hong Kong for Mirs Bay, the rendezvous
point for the Asiatic Squadron. On May 1, the vessel entered Manila Bay
with the remainder of the squadron. During the battle, the ZAFIRO joined
NANSHAN under the protection of the lightly armed McCULLOCH
in an unfrequented portion of Manila Bay.

Following the battle, Commodore Dewey had
communicated with the Spanish authorities in Manila that if the American
forces would be allowed to use the telegraph, he would continue to allow
the Spanish to use it also. The Spanish refused the offer, and Dewey
had the ZAFIRO drag for the cable and cut it. This effectively cut Manila
and the Philippines off from the rest of the world. The closest telegraph
station was Hong Kong. Also, on May 25, Capt. Gridley
of the OLYMPIA, who was terminally ill, left
Manila Bay on the first leg of his trip home to the U.S. on board the
ZAFIRO. Sadly, Gridley died while aboard the
COPTIC in Kobe, Japan, and did not return home alive.

During the attack on the battle for the city of Manila on August
13, 1898, the ZAFIRO served as the flagship of General Merritt, the commander
of the U.S. Army's forces in the Philippines at that time. Joining his
as a bodyguard was Company F of the 2nd Oregon
Volunteer Infantry.

ZAFIRO continued to operate in and around the Philippines until June,
1904. Immediately after the War, she was officially unmanned by U.S. forces,
and continued in this odd manner until May of 1900, when Ensign L. A. Cotten
assumed command. She took part in the actions against the Filippino Insurgency,
and in the campaigns against the Moro tribesmen.

ZAFRIO was placed out of commission at Cavite on June 10, 1904. On
October 21, 1910, she was sold to J. W. Zeeve of Seattle, Washington.

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:

ZAFRIO was slow, unarmed and unarmored. Her slowness was a problem when
taking part in Squadron-wide maneuvers.

An unused ticket for passage on the ZAFIRO

TECHNOTES:

Classification:

Supply Ship

Built:

1884

Comissioned:

No official Navy commission.

Contractor:

Hall Russell & Co., Aberdeen Scotland.

Hull:

Steel

Armament:

None

Length:

213 feet, 8 1/2 inches

Beam:

31 feet, 9 1/2 inches

Mean draft:

15 feet, 7 inches

Gross tonnage:

1,062 tons

Net tonnage:

675 tons

Complement:

One officer assigned. While the actual functional crew
was about 45 men,

the crew complement was officially listed as one man
(See background section above for explanation).

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